How self-driving cars are poised to move into the mainstream and upend the automotive industry

The self-driving car is no longer a futuristic fantasy. Consumers can already buy vehicles that, within a few years time, will get software updates enabling them to hit the road without the need for a driver.

This autonomous revolution will upend the automotive sector and disrupt huge swaths of the economy, while radically improving energy efficiency and changing the way people approach transport around the world.

Automakers and tech companies are racing to develop the technology that will power self-driving cars in the coming years. That tech is advancing, but leaves observers with a bigger question: will consumers trust driverless car tech, and will they want to use autonomous cars?

In a new report from Business Insider Intelligence, we analyze the self-driving car market, forecasting vehicle shipments and market penetration, profile the players expected to take on a prominent role in the autonomous future, examine the barriers to autonomous car development and adoption, review developments in technology, regulation, and consumer sentiment, before finally analyzing the impact the introduction of autonomy will have on various industries and transport trends.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

Self-driving cars are coming; there will be fully autonomous cars on the roads in the US in 2018, and adoption will just take off from there.

The technology is developing swiftly to allow fully self-driving vehicles, while the regulatory environment is adapting to the anticipated changes that this new technology will bring.

We conducted a survey asking our exclusive BI Insiders panel about their thoughts on self-driving cars, the future of the automotive industry, and the impact autonomous vehicles will have on their purchasing habits moving forward. The results provide a picture of consumer sentiment at the precipice of the autonomous era.